Gravitation: Universal Force of Attraction

Gravitation

Definition: Gravitation is a universal force of attraction between two objects with mass or energy.

Key Concepts:

• Universal Gravitation: Every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force acting along the line intersecting both points.
• Gravity: The force of attraction between two objects with mass, typically observed on Earth as the force pulling objects towards the ground.
• Gravitational Field: A region around an object where the gravitational force can be detected.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation:

• Formula: F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where:
  • F is the gravitational force between two objects
  • G is the gravitational constant (6.67408e-11 N m^2 kg^-2)
  • m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
  • r is the distance between the centers of the two objects
• Characteristics:
  • Always attractive, never repulsive
  • Dependent on mass and distance
  • Acts along the line connecting the centers of the two objects

Gravitational Force on Earth:

• g: The acceleration due to gravity on Earth's surface, approximately 9.8 m/s^2
• Weight: The force exerted on an object by gravity, dependent on its mass and g

Applications of Gravitation:

• Orbital Motion: The motion of celestial bodies, such as planets and satellites, around a central massive object
• Tides: The periodic rise and fall of sea levels due to the gravitational interaction between the Earth and other celestial bodies
• Gravitational Waves: Ripples in the fabric of spacetime, predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity and detected in 2015

Gravitation

• Gravitation is a universal force of attraction between two objects with mass or energy.

Key Concepts

• Universal Gravitation: every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force acting along the line intersecting both points.
• Gravity: the force of attraction between two objects with mass, typically observed on Earth as the force pulling objects towards the ground.
• Gravitational Field: a region around an object where the gravitational force can be detected.

Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

• Formula: F = G × (m1 × m2) / r^2
• G: the gravitational constant (6.67408e-11 N m^2 kg^-2)
• F: the gravitational force between two objects
• m1 and m2: the masses of the two objects
• r: the distance between the centers of the two objects
• Characteristics of Gravitational Force:
• Always attractive, never repulsive
• Dependent on mass and distance
• Acts along the line connecting the centers of the two objects

Gravitational Force on Earth

• g: the acceleration due to gravity on Earth's surface, approximately 9.8 m/s^2
• Weight: the force exerted on an object by gravity, dependent on its mass and g

Applications of Gravitation

• Orbital Motion: the motion of celestial bodies, such as planets and satellites, around a central massive object
• Tides: the periodic rise and fall of sea levels due to the gravitational interaction between the Earth and other celestial bodies
• Gravitational Waves: ripples in the fabric of spacetime, predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity and detected in 2015

Learn about the fundamental force of nature, gravitation, and its concepts, including universal gravitation, gravity, and gravitational fields.